Take that necktie off, and bury it [View all]

When General Electric gathered employees at company headquarters recently to address an upcoming change in leadership, it had all the markings of a high-profile corporate get-together. There were the company bigwigs — outgoing CEO Jeff Immelt, and his successor, John Flannery — seated onstage. And the oversize company logo looming in the background.

The only thing missing? The neckties.

Once viewed as the centerpiece of the American business uniform for men — a knotted symbol of power, prestige, and professionalism — the tie today seems to be going the way of the cufflink and cummerbund: still around, but rarely heard from.

“Before, it was kind of a requirement — almost the number one requirement — to looking professional,” says Jeff Lahens, who runs Boston’s J.L. Companies, a retail marketing and consulting agency. Now, “it’s more the norm for guys to not wear a tie.”

Read more: http://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/style/2017/06/16/take-that-necktie-off-and-bury/7ujyONjMemMEW01TE4vBLO/story.html